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Boris Johnson will this week unveil legislation to tackle “dirty money” in the UK’s property market and expose the “ill-gotten gains” of oligarchs who launder their wealth.In an attempt to target Vladimir Putin’s “cronies” following the invasion of Ukraine, the government said anonymous overseas owners of property will be forced to reveal their true identities.The Home Office said the “Register of Overseas Entities” will ensure criminals “cannot hide behind secretive chains of shell companies” and will apply retrospectively to property bought up to 20 years ago in England and Wales.Those that fail to comply will have restrictions placed on selling the property, while those who are found to have broken the rules will face up to five years in prison, the department added.The measure – forming part of the long-awaited Economic Crime Bill – will be introduced to parliament on Tuesday and comes after the government was accused of “dragging its feet” on targeting illicit finance in Britain.The Conservatives first committed to introducing a Register of Overseas Entities Bill six years ago but there has been little action since a government consultation closed in 2018 – leading to frustration among anti-corruption campaigners.Responding to the announcement, David Lammy, the shadow foreign secretary, insisted Labour had “long called for the government to cut the spider’s web of dirty money that has entangled the UK”.However, he added: “It should not have taken the invasion of Ukraine for the government to act.”In a statement – on the fourth day of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – the prime minister said: “There is no place for dirty money in the UK.“We are going faster and harder to tear back the facade that those supporting Putin’s campaign of destruction have been hiding behind for so long.“Those backing Putin have been put on notice: there will be nowhere to hide your ill-gotten gains.”The domestic measures focusing on illicit finance in the UK follow a series of government sanctions on Russian banks, airlines, oligarchs and more than 100 entities associated with the Kremlin.Speaking on Sunday, Liz Truss, the foreign secretary, added that the government was drawing up a “hit list” of oligarchs whose property and private jets would be targeted in the coming weeks.The Home Office said the Economic Crime Bill will also strengthen and expand the system of unexplained wealth orders (UWO), which enables the National Crime Agency to seize assets without having to prove they were obtained through criminal activity.Law enforcement will be given more time to review material provided in response to a UWO and will be protected from incurring substantial legal costs if they bring a reasonable case that is ultimately unsuccessful, the department said. More

Boris Johnson has said Vladimir Putin’s announcement that he is putting Russia’s nuclear deterrent on high alert are a “distraction” from the “difficulties that the Russian forces are experiencing” in Ukraine.Mr Putin said that Moscow’s nuclear forces are now on a “special regime of combat duty” in response to “aggressive statements” coming from Western powers and economic sanctions – an escalation branded “completely unacceptable” by the US.However Mr Putin’s brinkmanship on Sunday was dismissed by Mr Johnson, who said his actions were more to do with the fact that Russian military forces were meeting with “more resistance than the Kremlin had bargained for”.Mr Johnson also cast doubt on possible negotiations between Russian and Ukrainian delegations to try to resolve the crisis.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky agreed the two sides could meet on the Ukraine-Belarus border having initially rejected an offer of talks in Belarus.However Mr Johnson said he had seen nothing to suggest that Mr Putin was genuine in his offer.Follow our Ukraine war live blog hereFormer national security adviser McMaster says Putin is no longer ‘a rational actor’ More

Russia could use ‘most unsavoury means’ to win in Ukraine, Truss warnsForeign secretary Liz Truss has refused to disclose the number of refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine Britain will accept.It follows ferocious criticism over the Home Office’s failure so far to relax the visa requirements for Ukrainian nationals.When asked if the government will waive the rules for Ukrainians coming to the UK, she said: “It is a desperate situation. We’re working with the United Nations, we’re working with the Red Cross, to keep humanitarian corridors open.“And of course Britain has always welcomed refugees fleeing from war, and we’re urgently looking at what more we can do to facilitate that.”It comes as shadow foreign secretary David Lammy called the visa restrictions imposed on those seeking sanctuary in the UK from Ukraine “totally unacceptable”.He added: “It’s insisting that people demonstrate salaries, that they have family ties in this country.“People are fleeing with their children in their arms. Why would you ask people how rich they are to enter our country? Of course, there are some people who may not have family ties, but want to come into this country.”Show latest update

1645774516Good morning. Welcome to The Independent’s politics liveblog for Friday 25 February. Follow along here for all the latest on the UK response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and more. Emily Atkinson25 February 2022 07:351645776361Charities call on UK government to lead efforts to welcome refugees fleeing UkraineA number of charities are urging the UK government to lead the charge in offering sanctuary to thousands of refugees fleeing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.In a letter to The Times, Save the Children, Amnesty International, the International Rescue Committee UK, the Refugee Council and others said the attacks on Ukraine could constitute “the most significant European conflict since the collapse of Yugoslavia”.“A generation ago, the UK saved the lives of thousands of families from the Balkans through an evacuation and resettlement programme,” they said.“The government should now respond with a well-resourced initiative working with councils across the country, to welcome Ukrainians who need sanctuary.”At present, the Home Office said its priority was British nationals and their families.Emily Atkinson25 February 2022 08:061645776540Ben Wallace compares Vladimir Putin to Adolf Hitler The defence secretary has compared the Russian president to Adolf Hitler following his comments made last month that there was a “whiff of Munich” about Vladimir Putin.Ben Wallace said “it doesn’t matter how much effort we made” to prevent an invasion of Ukraine because Vladimir Putin “has been set on this for many, many months and certainly over a year”.He told Sky News: “I wrote an article in January that President Putin was beyond this type of persuasion. President Putin, I said and got criticised at the time, there was a whiff of Munich about President Putin.“It wasn’t the bit about appeasement I was referring to, I was referring that in … Munich in 1938 Adolf Hitler all along had a plan to invade parts of Europe and all the diplomacy was about a straw man sort of attempt by him to buy time.“Putin has been set on this for many, many months and certainly over a year, and I think that’s why, you know, it doesn’t matter how much effort we made – and we all made unbelievable amounts of effort, we saw President Macron go, my Prime Minister regularly spoke to Putin – didn’t matter.“As we’re seeing today, it’s not about the Donbas, it’s not about a minority, it is about a greed to subsume Ukraine into the Russian Federation, or indeed for President Putin to land-grab.”Emily Atkinson25 February 2022 08:091645776633Truss slams Putin’s ‘callous disregard for human life’ following talks with Ukrainian counterpartEmily Atkinson25 February 2022 08:101645777326Russia failing to achieve ‘any major objectives’ in Ukraine and has lost 450 personnel, defence secretary saysRussia is failing to achieve any of its key aims at the start of its invasion of Ukraine and has lost 450 personnel, the defence secretary says.Ben Wallace said the Kremlin had been unable to take control of a significant airport, adding: “In fact, the Ukranians have taken it back.”“Our assessment, as of this morning, is that Russia has not taken any of its major objectives – in fact it is behind its hoped-for timetable,” he said.Rob Merrick reports:Emily Atkinson25 February 2022 08:221645777806PM pays tribute to ‘bravery and heroism of the Ukrainian people’Boris Johnson said he is committed to providing further support to Ukraine during a phone call with president Volodymyr Zelensky on the “terrible developments” in Kyiv.A Downing Street statement said: “The Prime Minister spoke to President Zelensky this morning to express his solidarity with Ukraine.“President Zelensky updated the Prime Minister on the most recent Russian military advances, including missile and artillery strikes on Ukrainian cities and the terrible developments in Kyiv in the early hours of this morning.“The Prime Minister assured President Zelensky that the world is united in its horror at what Putin his doing. He paid tribute to the bravery and heroism of the Ukrainian people in standing up to Russia’s campaign of violence, and expressed his deep condolences for those who have been killed.“The Prime Minister committed to provide further UK support to Ukraine in the coming days as the people of Ukraine and the world continue to demonstrate that Putin cannot act with impunity.”Emily Atkinson25 February 2022 08:301645778570UK government sanctions against Russia ‘not strong enough’, says Starmer Sir Keir Starmer has called on the government to impose “further financial restrictions” against Russia as airstrikes continue to rain down on Ukraine’s capital.Speaking on Good Morning Britain, the Labour leader said he supported the government’s package of sanctions announced on Thursday but called for extra measures.He said the UK should “break open” shell companies in Britain providing support to Vladimir Putin and target Russia via Swift, an international financial system.Reacting to news that Russian troops were nearing Kyiv, Sir Keir said the situation was “extremely serious” and Britain should be “absolutely clear” in its stance.“We have to stand together with our allies, particularly Nato, and it’s very important we must stand together as one United Kingdom, and therefore yesterday was significant in Parliament because all political parties spoke with one voice in our support for Ukraine and our support for Nato.“In relation to the sanctions, I thought what the government put forward earlier this week was not strong enough. They came forward yesterday with a stronger package and I was able to say that we, the opposition, will support those further sanctions.“I do want to go further. I think that we do need further financial restrictions, particularly the Swift mechanism. I also think we’ve got to break open the shell companies we have here in the UK that are providing financial support for Putin.”Emily Atkinson25 February 2022 08:421645779442UK must prepare to ‘accept short-term pain for long-term gain’, says TrussForeign secretary Liz Truss has said the UK and its allies must ready themselves to face the “short-term pain” inflicted by sanctions imposed on Russia in the knowledge that “the pain felt by Putin will be exponentially higher.” Writing in The Telegraph, she said Moscow had “lied to the world and their own people” after her Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, assured her it would not invade Ukraine.She said: “Russia’s unprovoked and illegal invasion of Ukraine exposes Vladimir Putin’s regime for what it is: mendacious, bellicose and calculating. “This is not just an assault on the innocent people of Ukraine, their sovereignty and their future. It is also an attack on the security and freedom of Europe.”She continued: “The Kremlin is leading the Russian people into a quagmire and turning Russia into a global pariah. This is the moment to take a hard-headed approach, which means being ready to accept short-term pain for long-term gain – in the knowledge that the pain felt by Putin will be exponentially higher.“With Ukraine’s future in peril, we must unite in putting a stop to President Putin’s aggressive ambitions. He is hell-bent on realising his dream of recreating a Greater Russia with swathes of Europe in his sphere of influence.”Emily Atkinson25 February 2022 08:571645780628Ukraine: UK defence secretary rules out no-fly zone, warning it would be ‘declaring war on Russia’The defence secretary has ruled out imposing a no-fly zone over Ukraine, warning it would amount to Nato having “to declare war on Russia”.Senior Conservative MPs have called for the dramatic move and it is a key strand of the requests made by the beleaguered Ukrainian government, as it appeals for Western help.Our deputy political editor Rob Merrick has more:Emily Atkinson25 February 2022 09:171645781231Putin ‘won’t stop’ after invading Ukraine – WallaceRussian President Vladimir Putin “won’t stop” after invading Ukraine, defence secretary Ben Wallace has said. He said the decision not to “put British service personnel in direct fighting” was not about “risk”, but to avoid triggering a “war across Europe”.He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I have said continually for a long time, as has Britain, and the Prime Minister has supported this position, that Putin is not rational.“He is trying to invade Ukraine. He won’t stop after he’s … with Ukraine. He will use everything in the Baltic states. He doesn’t believe the Baltic states are really countries.“And we will have to stand up to it. Now, I cannot trigger a European war and I won’t trigger a European war. But what I will do is help Ukraine fight every street with every piece of equipment we can get to them, and we will support them, and that is the reality.”Emily Atkinson25 February 2022 09:27 More

Liz Truss has suggested the Russian invasion of Ukraine could mark the “beginning of the end” for Vladimir Putin, as she warned the conflict could last a “number of years”.As the Kremlin’s military offensive entered its fourth day, the foreign secretary insisted Moscow had not expected the resistance shown by the Ukrainian people and their president.With opposition parties calling for stronger sanctions, Ms Truss also told Sky News the UK government had drawn up a “hit list of oligarchs” whose property and private jets would be targeted.And she suggested the cost to the Russian state of a range of economic sanctions could mean the “beginning of the end for Putin”, with “serious consequences” for him personally.“I fear that he is prepared to use the most unsavoury means in this war,” she said, as she spoke of the possibility of Russia using “even worse weapons”.“He should be aware the International Criminal Court is already looking at what is happening in Ukraine. There will be serious consequences for him and for the Russian government,” she added.Her remarks come after Boris Johnson praised the resistance of the Ukrainian people but warned that there were “grim days” ahead for the eastern European country.Speaking on Sunday, Ms Truss said the British government would continue to provide both military and economic aid to the country.However, she continued: “I fear this this will be a long haul. This could be a number of years. What we do know is Russia has strong forces, but we know the Ukrainians are brave, they are determined to stand up for their sovereignty.” More

Sanctions imposed on Russia in retaliation for the invasion of Ukraine will make the domestic cost-of-living crisis worse, a cabinet minister has admitted.Liz Truss said Britain must be prepared to take an “economic hit”, but insisted it would be “far worse” to allow Vladimir Putin to succeed in his military offensive in Ukraine.As pressure builds for further sanctions against the Kremlin, the foreign secretary said the UK government is drawing up a “hit list” of oligarchs whose property and assets would be targeted.Earlier this week, No 10 imposed asset freezes on several Russian banks, airlines, billionaires associated with the Kremlin and said sanctions would personally target the Russian president.Over the weekend the US, UK and the EU also agreed to ban “selected” Russian banks from the global payments system SWIFT that connects thousands of financial institutions around the world.“We are taking apart every bit of the Russian system,” Ms Truss told the BBC’s Sunday Morning programme.But asked about the domestic toll and whether the cost of living would rise even more, the cabinet minister replied: “That is correct. That is correct.“But the pain that we will face in the United Kingdom is nothing like the pain people in Ukraine are currently facing.”She added: “They are having to take up arms in the face of an appalling dictator using untold weapons on their country and that is what we have to remember.“We aren’t just fighting for the people of Ukraine and the sovereignty of Ukraine, we’re fighting for freedom and democracy and that has a very high cost for us.“It is right that we are prepared to take an economic hit because the alternative of allowing Putin to succeed will be far worse for peace and democracy across Europe”. More

Foreign secretary Liz Truss has said she would “absolutely” support individual Brits going to fight Russian forces in Ukraine, insisting: “People can make their own decisions”.It comes after the Ukrainian leader, Volodymyr Zelensky, pledged to arm the country’s international “friends” who choose to travel to the country and help defend against the Kremlin’s advances.Foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba added: “Foreigners willing to defend Ukraine and world order as part of the International Legion of Territorial Defense of Ukraine, I invite you to contact foreign diplomatic missions of Ukraine in your respective countries.”Asked whether she would support the call, Ms Truss told the BBC’s Sunday Morning programme: “I do support that. Of course that is something that people can make their own decisions about.“The people of Ukraine are fighting for freedom and democracy — not just for Ukraine, but for the whole of Europe because that is what president Putin is challenging”.The cabinet minister added: “Absolutely if people want to support that struggle, I would support them doing that”.While the UK government has ruled out sending British troops to the region, she added ministers were doing “all we can” to supply defensive weapons to the Eastern European country.Giving an update on the situation in Ukraine, the cabinet minister earlier insisted that the Ukrainian resistance had been “unexpected” by Moscow, but warned the conflict could drag on for years.“I fear this this will be a long-haul. This could be a number of years,” she said.“What we do know is Russia have strong forces, but we know the Ukrainians are brave, they are determined to stand up for their sovereignty.”Earlier, Ukraine’s ambassador to the UK, Vadym Prystaiko, said he believed his country will hold out out for “as long as needed” and said the “whole nation” was against Russia.“We’re holding. It’s been just four days. I believe that we’ll hold as long as needed,” he added, insisting that the Kremlin had “miscalculated” with the invasion.“They came with 150,000 troops. It’s totally not enough,” the ambassador said.As the government also faces criticism over its failure to introduce a dedicated scheme for refugees from Ukraine and relax the visa requirement, Ms Truss also said ministers were “urgently look at what more we can do to facilitate that”.“It is a desperate situation,” she added. “We need to stop Putin’s ambitions in Ukraine. There are dire consequences if we don’t for freedom and democracy across Europe,” she said.“We will continue to tighten the ratchet on Vladimir Putin, to tighten the ratchet on the economy.” More

The UK needs to ditch bureaucracy and visa restrictions to provide sanctuary to Ukrainians fleeing their country under attack from Russia, senior Tory and Labour MPs have said. As the Kremlin wages war on their eastern European neighbour, Yvette Cooper, the shadow home secretary, said it was “immoral” to apply usual visa restrictions to Ukranians escaping war. Priti Patel called her comments “appalling misinformation” and said “the facts” were in government guidance that she shared. The document showed a visa application fee is being waived for family members of Britons who live in Ukraine and Ukrainians in the UK are being given temporary concessions when their visa expires. According to the latest estimates from the UN refugee agency, almost 116,000 have fled their homes – predominately to Poland, Hungary, Moldova, Slovakia and Romania – since Vladimir Putin declared war.Earlier this week The Independent reported that there is currently no safe and legal route for Ukrainians to travel directly from their country to the UK in order to seek asylum, unless they have close British relatives.A No 10 spokesperson said on Friday that troops had been deployed to help the humanitarian response in Poland and were “working incredibly closely with Ukraine’s neighbours” to help support those fleeing.But they would not be drawn on any further action when asked about safe and legal routes for those wanting to seek asylum in the UK.Posting on social media on Saturday, Conservative MP Julian Smith said ministers must “welcome” those who have been displaced, and “make it as easy as possible to be here”.“It’s really important that the United Kingdom makes an immediate open, welcoming & warm hearted commitment of sanctuary to those who wish to leave Ukraine.“Rip up the usual bureaucracy & let’s just say they are welcome & we will make it as easy as possible to be here.”Ms Cooper also tweeted on Saturday: “Ukraine is under fire. People are fleeing war. Yet Home Office still applies normal visa restrictions inc salaries, language, close relatives.”She said this “isn’t solidarity” with Ukraine but “immoral” and urged the government to “urgently provide simple sanctuary route to UK for Ukrainians who need our help”. The government told The Independent last week it had waived language requirements for dependents of British nationals.Speaking during a visit to Birmingham, the Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said Britain should be prepared to take in Ukrainian refugees, saying the government has “got this one wrong” in continuing to apply existing visa rules.“We must help Ukrainian people looking for safety. That is what we have always done as a country in a moment like this,” he said.“The government has got this one wrong. They are applying the same rules as they had before.”He called for a “humanitarian approach” with “sanctuary for those who are fleeing from Russian aggression, fleeing from this invasion, fleeing for their lives”.It comes after a poll by YouGov – following the Russian invasion – found almost two-thirds of British people would support the introduction of a resettlement scheme for those fleeing Ukraine.Ms Cooper said the war was “already having devastating consequences”, adding: “The UK has a duty to work with our allies to provide humanitarian assistance and support to those fleeing this horrific situation.” More

A Labour MP has revealed that she received a death threat calling her “Putin’s whore” amid the ongoing invasion of Ukraine by Russia. Zarah Sultana, MP for Coventry South, said she has “no doubt” that the personal attack was the result of “misleading reports and press comments”. She said she had reported the death threat, which was “in an email filled with racist abuse”, to the police.In a statement, which Ms Sultana posted on Twitter, she said: “I am horrified at the Russian invasion of Ukraine. I stand with the people of Ukraine and have unequivocally condemned Putin’s actions.”Ms Sultana was one of 11 Labour backbenchers who were ordered by party leadership to remove their names from a statement about the situation in Ukraine by the Stop the War coalition. The Stop the War statement, published last week, accused the UK government of “sabre-rattling” over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It said: “We refute the idea that Nato is a defensive alliance, and believe its record in Afghanistan, Yugoslavia and Libya over the last generation, not to mention the US-British attack on Iraq, clearly proves otherwise”.Ms Sultana said that in the past week her views have been incorrectly reported in the media. She criticised a briefing from an “anonymous Labour source” to the media, which suggested “that Labour MPs were a “mouthpiece for the Kremlin”. “I must make clear at this stage that these accusations have crossed the line from false to dangerous,” Zarah Sultana added. Ms Sultana said that she had contacted the Labour party chair, Anneliese Dodds, to emphasise the seriousness of “party sources” disseminating dangerous and irresponsible messages”.Following the publication of the Stop the War statement, a Labour spokesperson said: “The small number of Labour MPs that signed the Stop the War statement have now all withdrawn their names. “This shows Labour is under new managements. With Keir Starmer’s leadership there will never by any confusion about whose side Labour is on – Britain, Nato, freedom and democracy – and every Labour MP now understands that.” More